Let’s save money on: ‘Clothing’

It seems every day this week I’ve felt dodgy for one reason or another, today was no different but here I am ready to write up another batch of money saving tips.
So much money is spent on clothing & it seems a struggle for some to get an outfit & manage to get change out of £100.

Charity Shops

Whilst this option isn’t everyones cup of tea it is a fabulous simple way to find clothing ‘cheap’. Charity Shops will differ area to area & you will find some of the ‘posh’ London suburbs have some fantastic designer items in their Charity Shops.
Its not all about designer items though but people fail to realise that they may be able to pick up some brilliant items at massively knocked down prices.
One of the reasons I like buying items from Charity Shops, other than making savings, is the fact by buying something I am helping someone somewhere out!
It is worth checking your local Charity Shop out, I have come across great little finds.
Save & help a Charity out in the process.

Cheaper retail stores

Stores such as Matalan & Primark offer brand new items at reasonable prices. Both companies stock clothing for babies, children & adults. You can easily clothe a family on a very tight budget especially in Primark. These aren’t the only ‘cheap’ retailers but they are the most well known. You also have the choice of unbranded one off shops, they aren’t in every town’s high street but can be found here & there & should be used to their full advantage.

Clothes swaps

Ever loved a friends coat? Wanted their shoes? Why not set up a clothes swap at work or between friends. The idea is simple, you bring items that you no longer want or need & you swap them for items that you will actually wear or use. This is a completely free way of getting new clothes & at the same time clearing your wardrobe of items that aren’t being worn.

Local selling sites

By Local selling sites I mean the pages on Facebook where people post the items they have to sell or to ask if people have a certain item.
These pages are particularly fantastic for bundles of baby & child clothing. I have bought a fair few bundles of baby items from sites like these & have found some fantastic little treasures in them. You have to be aware though some people aren’t careful with what they sell & you can end up with dirty or unusable items. I recommend you check the items before you part with your money.
Adult clothing is also sold on pages like these, items can be new or used and its up to you what you wish to buy. If you are looking for a particular item but can’t find it on there, your best best is to post about the item you are after, you may just find that someone has it but either hasn’t put it up for sale yet or their post has been hidden by new ads.

Nearly new sales

Nearly new sales are predominantly for Baby & Children’s items & clothing. NCT are the main company who run these sales. You can both sell & buy at these events.
Items can be new or used but it is a great way to get major savings on clothing. These sales can come in especially useful for newborn clothing that babies are barely in because they’ve either pooped all over it or because they’ve grown out of in it the week!
A brilliant thing about these sales is you can actually look at the items before you buy, that way you don’t end up with items that aren’t in the condition you were after.
If you are interested in these types of sales I recommend checking out NCT, Mum2mummarket & Lots for Tots.

Online retailers

There are so many online clothing retailers that its impossible to name them all, I will however recommend a few.
A few years back I remember only being able to find discount clothing on websites such as eBay & Amazon. Whilst they can still offer some superb deals numerous discount boutiques & Facebook pages have popped up that offer amazing clothing at super cheap prices.
Some fantastic cheaper online clothing retailers are: Boohoo, Everything 5 Pounds, Get The Label, Lasula Boutique, Misspap & Pink Boutique.
You can find reasonably priced items on all of the sites above. To get even better savings hit these retailers when they have sales on!

Sales

This one is simple, buy clothing in the sales. Over the Christmas period I got 4 pairs of jeans for the price of 1, £80 off a pair of boots & a top for £8.
Sign up to your favourite retailers mailing list to make sure you are made aware of sales, some of these sales may be instore or online only so can be easily missed.
Sales are the prime time to stock up on clothing. I don’t think you can beat the high of saving ££.